


Escape From Vancouver

by Genesister (papirini)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: And That's All I Can Really Say, Author Shiro (Voltron), Declarations Of Love, Doctor Keith (Voltron), Eldritch, Existentialism, I hope you love it too, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, M/M, Not Really Character Death, Sheithmark 2021, Temporary Amnesia, Temporary Character Death, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, This Is STUPID, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Virtual Reality, Why Did I Write This?, but i love it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:27:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29046150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/papirini/pseuds/Genesister
Summary: Keith is a doctor living in Hopedale, Vermont. Shiro, an amnesiac best-selling author from the big city, is his patient. They are meant to fall in love, and live happily every after.Then Kuron decided to ruin everything. For once, this is actually a good thing.A fanfic written for Sheithmark.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 28
Collections: Sheithmark 2021





	Escape From Vancouver

**Author's Note:**

> For those wondering about translation:
> 
> https://cryptii.com/pipes/enigma-machine
> 
> Zählwerk Enigma A-865, all rotors set at I, all positions at 1A. Then decode.
> 
> Enjoy. :)

_fqlwb hwcpb cpwbx nxvth xgjsp iqprw tsphk efjwl llqfu oymha rcojt gzyxs refoc bdjgg uuuto rtucc ubqzy kssrx tjcnv sknqp nzpzq nlugb tmvtk wmdcs lsydi yjyce lotmg lmdin vnfss mennr evjyf dujrx abico hsfvq ncdxg uultg ygydk yeirn biqlh reigx sttxg jhzfz mzptj ffcgc ietxg yphio dsdek yoezo rxqxo jpuja hevus wmnff eycvl iqnds capbi mkvlc dbwnc dqjyt zgqiy duhim akntv tvslc mugpy duqna aotof owmfq bncjq qrvcy pbhku kpoiu izbtm cmgce exsnl efuik lalzt nnird oukfn suvig rhtpi ylchm cobcc ngtzf adzsv kbtqu ibqzz hpseh uruzf umhim funza mwcwd xkooj qjevq gzupg bhwnz scjvx ozaem qzxqo ylync snplc ccovh nchkj uxglg aixql gjuea rtzky r_

****

****

**_C Q N F X_ **

The snow that fell on the desolate roads that evening had been so thick that, upon the initial impact, Dr. Keith Callan thought he’d hit a deer.

It wouldn’t have been that shocking. Hopedale, Vermont was in the middle of nowhere, nestled in the mountains of the northeast that straddled the border of Canada, and during the fall and winter the mountains were popular for their nearby ski resorts and Christmas-themed shopping towns. Not that many people visited Hopedale for either reason-most of the other towns were more quaint-looking photogenic in the winter than Keith’s hometown, which had its hospital for the rural communities in the vicinity, a few restaurants, a street of houses, and the farmhouse Keith lived at. Heck, there were more deers in town than people.

Which was why Keith thought that it was an animal he’d hit. It’s hazy form was quite big and beefy looking-perhaps even a twelve-pointer. Or at least that was what Keith thought before he got out of his car to inspect the damage. Looking at the still and bleeding form in front of him, however, it was obvious that what he hit was anything but an animal.

“Oh no…no no no…!!”

He didn’t try to pull the man up or cradle him in his arms. Moving him would have been a bad idea. Instead, he hustled back to his car, grabbing a blanket and pillow from the emergency bag he always carried with him. He quickly threw the blanket over the prone figure, who let out a weak moan as he grabbed his cell phone.

“Come on, you’ve got enough bars…come on…!” Keith let out the breath he’d been holding the second he heard the ringback, leaning the phone against his shoulder as he tried to prop the pillow under the man’s head. “Hello! Hunk! This is Keith, there’s been an accident on the old border access road off of Journeys End Road! I have an unconscious man, with unknown injuries. I don’t know how badly he’s hurt, and it’s really coming down over here…the snow, I mean, I…I need an ambulance now!”

He didn’t mention he’d been the one to hit the man. The police would probably figure that out when they talked to him. Right now, his focus was on keeping the man warm, and alive, even as Keith watched in horror as his pillow began to stain red beneath the man’s crown.

Another moan came out from the man, and Keith felt himself panic.

_God, no, what have I done…?!_

Then, before the man’s eyes rolled up to the back of his head, they met Keith’s. They dilated, eyelids fluttering above them, as the injured man murmured a word to Keith, only to pass out right after.

“…Keith…”

His heart stopped as the man went limp, and he nearly dropped the man’s head.

_What…?!_

The man had said his name. The man he’d just hit with his truck. The man who was going to die if that ambulance didn’t come soon, as Keith stared in numbed shock at the man’s slackening face.

This man, whom Keith had never seen before in his life, had just _spoken his name_.

_How…!?_

* * *

_cqnfx pgysh tlcmh bkyid iairp rzhra nefrk kjzyi odevt obdur rcorv uvdtm ooowx nylcf yjcti zwlom urxwv fcmgc vynkx xncad ronnn nlega qczwo qzqws lnncm zuewy eraom wqjup mgkts uuxjl vnzop lgrjs kbtzy hsfih rahpn vdvhr xtlye ztdev pidmn uzvzm agnlk vetkw xdizn cnxml jkqzy ihxgm rypww asbih hqscl uzbhx mjklf edcbf xzcfn sobky hnuvy ijaqw waonn kvszf pfltf wubdg xcvum sgpjq bbmqq hxcjp rnitb hayql unwpo lrxiv zubqg dpstr hiahg iuqmb izakr ufzie uydli xfugz ttpuy igvtc yysni pcimg mkxga negbw ofmzm kadpt rlbut oqoej rbdht ikjyr cwosi axcfu srrwf subvj rzhrz zudvx pgkqc uyrtx dsatx xcqnc qwevn hossl xbztq nmcvs unyje whasr nlfql ytejg bpvft stoao uxvmj uxhyd wxjqe sguia keyjh jpuxs eihvb aiugp tonyi qazlm hympg xvyzq ftlus pepgg gihfm szzwb cjhlj pqqgh sdtky pzqzp wyaaq wokix mrthy hdhxy awaom gcddk rdkpa slldj cwnln aujv_

He’d had a dream.

Shiro couldn’t remember the dream, and normally, he was grateful for that. But this time, it was different. It was not simply something that slipped away from him as he slowly opened his eyes, his mind blurry and half-awake. It was a different sensation entirely, almost akin to when Haggar had jacked into the clone’s brain and forced it into its Stage Five mode. Almost, save the lack of pain, and the fact that it wasn’t being activated, but sucked right out of him like a chilled winter’s breath wafting upwards from his mouth.

For a tick, Shiro remembered nothing, and it felt surprisingly nice and calm.

Then, with a jolt, it all came back to him.

“Ha-!?”

He began to bolt up out of the hospital bed, only to find himself hooked up to an IV and held back by sudden and sharp pain in his head and chest, and sludge in his veins. Like a fish out of water, he found himself uselessly flopping back into the bed with a groan, his eyes shutting tightly as he balled his fists.

Both of them.

 _Both of them_ -

“Yeah, _that_ was a bad idea.”

Shiro’s eyes were wide open at the sound of his voice, and he turned to look at the source. It sat in a chair by the snow-crusted window, a leg folded on top of another, his eyes scanning a magazine beneath the too-short lock of white hair on top of his head. After a moment, the figure looked up, and their eyes met his with an all-too familiar stare beneath all-too-similar eyebrows.

It was impossible for him to be there, and yet Shiro was looking right at the man who shouldn’t have existed. Yet there he was, and-

“Quiznak, what are you _wearing_?”

“Rude to think I don’t exist, Shiro,” The man went back to flipping through the catalog, which went back to mostly covering his abomination of a lime-green wool sweater, its color interrupted by giant red reindeer with a brown cotton ball nose and antlers. “Considering I’m the reason you’re still here.”

“I…” Shiro found himself tongue-tied. Partly because of the man in front of him, partly because of the drugs pumped into his body. He sagged further into his pillow. “How am I…how are _we_ here? And-where _are_ we that _you_ could be here?”

At this, the clone clicked his tongue once, then flipped to the next page of the catalog.

“You’re a part of me, remember?” He spoke as casually as if it had been a Tuesday. Of course, Shiro had no clue what day it was. “Even though we’ve merged, this _is_ still my body. I’ve just been relegated to being part of your subconscious mind. A specter of your dreams—ooh, a Lite Brite. Looks colorful! I kinda wish these were still around.”

“That…” All of that made some sense. Except Shiro was awake. “That doesn’t explain how you’re _here_ , talking to me.”

“Well.” A pause. “Your arm isn't supposed to be here either, remember? But here we are.”

Shiro started at this, then painfully brought his right arm up. His completely flesh, completely attached, completely _normal_ right arm. An arm that was bandaged, and beginning to shake with horror, because of course the clone was right. His arm was gone, up to his shoulder and then some, replaced by the prosthetic that Sam and Allura had given him-

“Am…am I dreaming?” He managed to choke out as he forced his right hand down to the mattress. “Please tell me I’m dreaming.”

“Ok.”

“…Really?”

“Really, at least when you get down to it. Technically, at least,” The clone shrugged. “Though while we’re on the subject of being unconscious, I wish you’d stop calling me Kuron or clone. I want a better name while you’re here with me and I can talk to you directly. Maybe Steve, or Jiro, or Takeshi. Or, I don’t know, Bubble Princess, just…something.”

“… _Bubble Princess_?” Shiro’s words were filled with incredulity. “I haven’t watched that in _decades_ -”

“I know, and I remember you dressed up as her one Halloween and ran into a brick wall trying to do the transformation sequence.”

“-and I completely blocked it out of my mind for that reason! Just...” The disbelief increased. “I dressed up as _other_ things, you know! And…I… _why_ would you want to be _called_ _Bubble Princess_?!”

“I’m just saying,” The catalog in the clone’s hands crinkled as he flipped through it, “that anything is better than just calling me _clone_ , Shiro. Unless I get to call you Champion.”

“Ngh.” Shiro needed a drink. He brought a head to his temple, only to find it bandaged. “Look, Kuron-”

“Oooh, a Brush ‘N’ Sparkle Unicorn. It’s got battery operated lights and sounds!” The other Shiro chuckled. “Wow, this really _is_ an old-fashioned place.”

“You said I was dreaming.” Shiro bit his lip with not a little annoyance at the other’s nonchalant attitude. “But only technically. So, what exactly am I doing if I’m not dreaming?”

Kuron opened his mouth to respond, but that was when the door to the hospital room opened. In walked a man in a doctor’s coat-and at the sight, Shiro’s eyes lit up.

“Keith!”

Keith froze for a moment, before finally looking over at him. Shiro could feel his excitement falter the instant he saw the other’s expression. It was stunned, and not in a good way. There was relief, but also confusion, and not a little apprehension, as he held up a primitive clipboard in his hands. More than that, there was no recognition. Not even a glimmer of recollection shone through on his expression as he looked back up, their eyes meeting.

“Ah, yes…I’m your doctor, Mr. Shirogane.” Keith cleared his throat, and Shiro felt his heart sink further. “I’m Keith Callan.”

A gagging sound came from the other side of his bed, and Shiro shot a look at Kuron. Kuron, for his part, looked on with utter contempt.

“‘Callan’. They gave him the last name Callan.” Kuron tossed the catalog over his shoulder, and Shiro’s eyes widened as the catalog disintegrate into square-shaped ashes, then disappeared entirely. “That is so _stupid_.”

“…sir?” Shiro’s head whipped back towards Keith, who looked at him with concern, even worry, despite the fact there was still no familiarity. “Listen, I need to speak to you about your condition. I’m afraid it’s very serious, and your CAT scans have shown you to have sustained some brain damage in the…” Hesitation. Why hesitation- “…in the accident you had. The effects may be temporary, or it may be permanent. Do you understand?”

“I…” Shiro looked at Keith dumbly, the alarm bells ringing violently in his head as the ticks passed. “Accident? What accident? Did something happen on…on…”

The Atlas. No. They had not been on the Atlas, Shiro realized as more memories returned to him. They’d left the Atlas, in the Black Lion. Him and-

“You were, um.” He found himself back in the hospital room, staring back at Keith. Keith, meanwhile, was flushing red, but there was still know recognition in his eyes. “You were hit by a car, Mr. Shirogane. Given your head injuries, I am going to show you a few things and ask you a few questions, so we can gauge what you remember. First off, how about your name?”

Shiro’s mouth moved, but nothing came out. This was all wrong. There were no cars in space. Keith wasn’t a doctor. He didn’t have his natural right arm. None of this made any quiznaking sense.

Nothing save Kuron, who Shiro could see raising up a cup of hot chocolate to his mouth. Kuron, whose sweater flickered, transforming into a brown sweater with pink stripes lined with pumpkins.

“Gonna have to give an answer there, slick.” Kuron licked his lips. “…Chalky.”

“Seriously?!” Shiro tried to throw his hands up. Winced as pain shot through his body. “Ugh…would you not do that, please? I don’t need your snark on top of whatever this is.”

“Do what? What snark?” Keith looked over where Shiro was looking, turning back with narrowed eyes. “Mr. Shirogane, I…who are you talking to?”

Oh. Oh, he was afraid of that. Shiro swallowed, forcing himself to look away from Kuron (who he was certain was just being annoying for the sake of it) in order to focus fully on Keith. It was then that he noticed what was in Keith’s hands-a small rectangular card, rainbow diagonally slashing through the center as it showed the state of Hawaii and its flag on top. He stared at the photo of himself-black hair, black hair, that wasn’t right, his hair was no longer black-and he felt his breath pick up even before he took in the actual information printed on the card.

His breathing only went faster. His name, his height, his weight, and the date of February 29th were correct. Everything else was completely wrong.

 _Wh-this was printed in_ 2020 _…!?_

“That…none of that is right!” Shiro yanked the card from Keith, eyes bulging out of their sockets. “I wasn’t…this isn’t…they stopped using cards like this decades ago!”

“You don’t remember this, then?”

“No!” Shiro went to grab Keith’s shoulders, and couldn’t help but feel stung when the other took a step back, out of arm’s reach. “Of course I don’t! That isn’t mine, _Keith_ …you know this, don’t you? You’ve seen…my real license…”

He trailed off as Keith blinked once, before looking at his clipboard with a frown. Behind him, Shiro could hear Kuron huff.

“Save your breath. He doesn’t believe you.”

“I see.” Keith finally nodded, before looking back up at Shiro with clipped tone on his mouth. “Well, Mr. Shirogane, I think that settles your diagnosis. I’ll, ah, bring in the neurologist to discuss this with you momentarily-”

“Wh-wait!”

“-and we’ll see about your discharge with your relatives, or into an appropriate care facility if none can be found.”

“ _Keith_ -!”

The only response from Keith was his back walking out the door, the door closing behind him. Hands-he had two flesh hands, it was all wrong-he turned to Kuron, not even bothering to hide his contempt. His hurt.

He could only start when he found there was no one there. No sign anyone had even been there, not even the slightest hint of that hideous sweater.

_He…he didn’t even recognize me…_

Deep breaths. In, five seconds, and out seven seconds. Then repeat. It didn’t help.

_What is going on…?!_

* * *

_tsbyl ouezt yxzac cywet xgojp ctdqr oyvqq ixrkl zfgfl ocsna jkrjb yjsjn wwlqc jncdf scyta uuxcz zlkwt cueib gisay dttkx zbcfn hqwss pznvx nrmyg lsyln swsep levzy xgynm hkqbi jhjnn kklrh eoexo xkozl gpxdc xwhjq xxcdw zzezy nzoep jqxta mohjt tmsfc ujefm gosxv ohjwe vtcpb hgxps vynwj qjbod ubgfj pypsj ahpvj tuncx tejbw stkbv rsxwy oijcl zinvc vssjb dzczf apkuj boilx gyjgr fvcpf ejivl urwwl qbgzr wjfgm vbqgm pzujo jgycc fmalg fmbit hirng oxvxi zgzbe yjsdy tkykm zxmxj zugir lzzol anlzr wopgz ezfxx jwkrr cbsvl arvxp qcfyg pgkjn tujyi udaxt vcwlf iymhy gzavx gzkgc twaby fyxdh emjlx kplbh pooml zwfqb caugl kujbn uacyd nvddz alzqs hgxsg vgbxa whckf mbhsw kburh taagz rljvr qerbi lroxj ewjxj lfmld hxhpg jhepf gvafy pvqjh vlial ruauw xfwkd gmpyi ocrjn fegpa eoqnw eipfq qtwdk ywkud pexwi nmdlq caxbr liweb dncoo kklvd sogts xx_

“I just finished my evaluation of him.” Dr. Phineas Ulaz brought up the CAT scans on his computer. “He’s definitely suffering from retrograde amnesia due to the concussion and trauma to his head, along with some other possible brain damage from the accident that I’ve yet to pinpoint precisely. He’s having quite a time, it seems. And he’s been asking for you.”

That last sentence was punctuated by the ghost of a smirk on the older medical man’s face, but Keith wasn’t laughing. He wasn’t even in the mood to contemplate the implication of a handsome man asking after him. Because…well, Takashi Shirogane was handsome, he couldn’t deny that. At the same time, he was Keith’s patient, and that wasn’t even touching on the two elephants in the room.

“Yes.” Keith swallowed. “Listen, Dr. Ulaz, something is very wrong with him. He knew my first name before I had even introduced myself. He...called me Keith at the accident!”

The doctor blinked at this, tilting his head. Then he shrugged, turning back towards the scans.

“It’s probably nothing to worry about, Keith.”

“ _Nothing_ -!?”

“Calm down, Keith, let me explain,” The doctor chuckled. “It’s likely a Fregoli delusion due to the trauma and injury he sustained in the accident. He likely knows someone named Keith who may look similar to you, and his subconscious mind happened to retain that knowledge even with his state of confused and lost memory. So, he’s simply conflating this other ‘Keith’ with you. It will fade as his brain compensates for the trauma; with luck he will make a full recovery and regain the whole of his real memory.”

Well. That made sense, and Keith found himself immediately accepting it. After all, Dr. Ulaz had been a doctor at John Hopkins; he was an expert in neurological injuries. There was no need to question his expertise.

“Sure, but…” Keith swallowed. “If that’s the case, I don’t know if I’m the best person to be in charge of his care while he’s recovering.”

“It’s all right, Keith.” Ulaz gave him a smile, patting him on the shoulder. “If he _does_ get rambunctious, I will make sure you’re protected. But I’m certain it won’t come to that.”

“…Right.” Keith took a deep breath. “And if does, I don’t want to deal with it. If I start getting uncomfortable, I won’t treat him anymore. Ok?”

“Ok, fair enough!”

“There’s also…” Keith faltered. “There’s also the fact I…”

“Inadvertently caused his condition? We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Ulaz took a step back. “In any case, we’re doing our best to use the information we have from him to try and find his relatives or friends. Anyone who might be willing to help him recover his memory.”

“And if we can’t find anyone?”

“…Then we keep him.” Ulaz shrugged. “Our long-term ward can provide for him if need be, and we’ll make sure we give him the best care that our people can provide.”

Keith looked down, shuffling his feet, before he finally nodded. Yes. He could do that.

“…And maybe you’ve gotten a Godwink, hmm?” And the good feeling was replaced by mortification and embarrassment as his medical superior winked to back up his suggestion. “You know how we’re always saying that there’s no such thing as coincidences, and he _does_ know your name-”

A Godwink. Seriously. His superior was trying to say that his hitting a guy with a car was God's way of hooking him up with a boyfriend. Because of course that was what Ulaz would resort to when logic wouldn't suffice while he was trying to meddle Keith's love life.

“ _Nope_!” Keith immediately turned and practically jogged away from Ulaz as the other began to laugh.  
"Nope, no, don't mention Godwinks! Don’t even joke about that, and Ineedtodomyroundsnowseeyoulater!!”

With that, he excused himself, feeling his face flush hot. Sure, he couldn’t deny that the man was attractive. But that didn't negate the fact that, Godwink or no, Takashi Shirogane was still his patient, and he’d still run the guy over with his truck. Besides, there was no way he was going to start a relationship with a patient-especially when it was _his_ _patient_ -who was clearly not well. That would be a serious breach of trust and a violation of his oath as a doctor.

Hopefully, by the time he was finished with his normal rounds with his other patients, Ulaz and the other doctors would drop the subject, and he could pretend that the amnesiac man wasn’t there outside of the times he checked up on him. That would be perfectly fine by him. Any reason to not have to talk to the unstable amnesiac in Room 306 was fine by him, in fact. The man having known his name beforehand wasn't at all attractive or charming, either-it was unnerving.

_Just get through it, Keith. Just keep it professional, and maintain bounderies. He will have to get the message. Right?_

That, Keith decided, would suffice, even as he felt his dread of having to face the other increase as he continued through his work day.

* * *

“You should eat, you know.”

Shiro stared ruefully at the food before him as Kuron once more leaned against the hospital window, a smirk on his face as he wore another ugly sweater of hot pink and green with a Santa Claus in the middle. Once more, he was rifling through another holiday catalog, after popping into existence out of nowhere once the neurologist-Ulaz, who looked _very_ weird as a human-and the candy stripers had followed to dispense with his lunch. 

“You did just wake up from a coma after all.” Kuron’s head tilted as he looked up from his reading. “Plus, it’s pizza day. You even got pepperoni! Lucky you.”

“Cut it out, I’m dreaming,” he flatly replied. “So eating won’t make a difference. Besides, I hate hospital food. You know that.”

“Yeah, but I also know you hate being confined,” Kuron shrugged. “Especially when you’re being confined within your own body-probably just as much as pureed peas, if not moreso.”

Shiro’s eyes furrowed at this.

“…You said I was dreaming.”

“I said you were _technically_ dreaming,” Fast as a viper Kuron swooped in and grabbed the milk carton right off Shiro’s tray. Shiro couldn’t help the glare he gave the other as he also swiped the straw. “What? I like milk.”

“How about you start explaining these technical things you keep hinting about, instead of drinking my fake stuff?”

“Man, you get bossy when you’re annoyed. No wonder I had a short temper when I was alive.” Kuron proceeded to fumble with the carton top to try and open it. “Anyways, you’re technically dreaming, but this is all fake. It’s not even your dream. It’s that of what I think is called the Belgilar.”

“The Belgilar …” It sounded like an alien race, of course, but there was one problem. “I’ve never heard of them.”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t have. They’re not openly known. But they’re an alien hive mind that live beneath the surface of Meleya Milikiti.”

“Meleya Milik-” Instantly Shiro’s eyes widened. “The distress beacon.”

“Yup.” Kuron’s mouth popped as he managed to rip a hole into the top of the unyielding paper carton. “The uninhabited planet where the Galra warship crashed several centuries ago.”

“…Atlas picked up the signal.” The memories of Shiro on the bridge, then in the Black Lion. Then, the dark and desiccated Galra warship, system sun a pinprick in the sky. “Keith and I went down investigate. We found the beacon, and…the bodies around it. All the Galra’s bodies were preserved, they looked like they could be woken up if you shook them.”

“That’s right.” Kuron’s playful, jesting smirk was replaced with a look of steel. “And when Keith touched the beacon, it sent out a pulse. You were both knocked out.”

“…A trap.” Shiro slowly swallowed. “It put us to sleep.”

“The beacon was connected to the Belgilar’s computer systems decaphoebs ago, right after these guys crashed. They’re still alive, by the way.” Kuron took a sip from the straw, allowing Shiro to ruminate on what he just said, before he continued. “Probably locked in a similar simulation like you and Keith are. No clue why they do this, but the Belgilar use fine nanite wires with stingers to plug everyone into their network, to keep them locked in a state of suspended animation and nourished while they simultaneously upload a sim into everyone’s brain, playing it over and over again with only a little variation on occasion. Whatever they use to keep people alive also suppressed their true memories, so basically the only thing people remember are the fake lives uploaded alongside the simulation.”

“And that’s why Keith looked at me like I grew an extra head when I tried to talk to him like normal…” Shiro’s fists clenched. “…and my hair. And my arm. But I remember everything. How?”

At this, Kuron’s eyebrows raised up, as did one of his hands, the fingers wiggling.

“You?” Shiro stared at the raised arm dumbfoundedly. “What did _you_ do?”

“I think, therefore I am!” The smirk returned to the clone’s face. “So basically, these guys didn’t account for the fact that this isn’t actually your body. I mean, yeah, we’re technically one and the same since we merged, but this was still my body first. My body, my quintessence, my brain patterns-and I was only _mostly_ dead when Allura put you in me, and I’ve been a part of your subconscious mind ever since.”

“…So when I went to sleep…”

“I rebooted. Sort of. I’ll probably go back to your subconsciousness once you wake up.” Kuron slurped on his straw. “But since I’ve been aroused, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get us out of this place. Trying to test the limits of the simulation to see if I could just wake you up. When that failed, I got bored and basically hijacked your body to do what I wanted with it after the simulation we’re stuck in restarted.”

“ _What_ -” Shiro’s blood went cold. “Please don’t say you blew us up with the Galra or something.”

“I wasn’t controlling our _real_ body, Shiro, come on.” Kuron rolled his eyes. “I can’t wake that up. I just took over this body and hitchhiked my way into getting run over by a truck, yeesh.”

Shiro’s mouth dropped at this.

“You got me hit by a truck?!”

“Yeah, but again, not for real! Plus it’s not like I wasn’t doing anything that wasn’t going to happen anyways!” Kuron grumbled. “It’s basically the plot of a cheesy romance movie. You get hit by a truck, you lose your memory, you get swept off your feet by Dr. Keith Fakeyfake and you realize you need to move to Vermont-which I actually think is Vancouver judging by the deeper coding for this thing, but whatever-and take a break from your fast-paced life as a best-selling author. Oh, and you and Keith fall in love. After you regain your memory, you admit you love him back, and then you finally kiss. Unlike in _real_ life, of course.”

At this, Shiro felt his face turn hot. Of course his clone-cum-subconscious self would know about his feelings for Keith, even if Keith himself might have been oblivious to them. Granted, there hadn’t been time for Shiro to sit Keith down to tell him about his feelings-he’d wanted to confide in Keith in private, when they weren’t in a life-or-death situation, and he felt he owed Keith that much, given what had happened at the clone facility-but even so, he didn’t need people like Matt or Lance or freaking Iverson egging him on or teasing him about his unresolved feelings.

He especially did not need it from _himself_ , he sourly thought, of all people in the universe, considering he was already annoyed with himself not having The Moment he was hoping for to finally reciprocate his care and love for the man who’d saved him multiple times over the years. Even before they picked up the distress beacon, he’d been fretting about when The Moment would finally come and be opportune-or if it would ever come at all.

“Everyone’s a critic when it comes to me and Keith, huh,” he mumbled. “Hah…wait, what about being an author?”

“Yeah, you’re supposed to be a best-selling author in this simulation.” Kuron held out a hand, and for a moment, the area around him seemed to become fuzzy, then glitchy like on a computer screen; then Shiro blinked, and in his hand was a book. “Self-help, of all things!”

Shiro stared at the cover, which had his face on it. His youthful, unscarred face-no doubt, it was how he looked right now in this dream he was stuck in-black bangs slicked back, and with the biggest, cheesiest smile he’d ever seen plastered on his own face. The expression was so ridiculous-looking, Shiro couldn’t help but burst out laughing in disbelief.

“What the quiznak-!?” He brought his hands to his face. “What is that expression!? I look so _stupid_!”

“Yeah, pretty much.” The clone threw the book behind him, where it glitched out of existence with the blink of an eye. “But yeah, the simulation’s been played close to a dozen times, without any deviation. Until now. All I did was change when you were hit, and where. I can tell it’s done some damage to the simulation, if you having your memories back is an indication.”

“And the fact you can talk to me with your annoying sweaters.” Shiro leaned back, wincing at the pain in his back. Sure it was fake, but it still felt real enough. “So now what? How do I convince Keith to remember? Surely I can do something to-”

“You can’t.” The casual way that the clone replied was a shock of ice water to Shiro’s system. “He’s too embedded into the simulation to be roused like that, and unlike you he isn’t living in his clone’s body. The only way we can save him is to break the simulation outright, force it to shut off. Which _I_ can do now that you’re mostly untethered from it mentally. Heck, me just talking to you like this is probably making our captors’ brains explode from their sheer inability to control it.”

The dangerous smirk on the clone’s face as he said this did not give Shiro much comfort. If anything, it was worrying. He had no clue of what the effect of messing with his own brainwaves while he was in a vegetative state would be in the long term-because, if what Kuron was saying was true, that _was_ what Shiro’s condition in the real world was at that very moment.

“So, all I have to do is start wrecking things, and-”

“No! _Don’t_!” The smirk is wiped off the clone’s face, replaced by a frown. “Please don’t…we don’t know how it will affect everyone else. It could cause brain damage!”

“By everyone else, you mean Keith.” Kuron rolled his eyes. “Please. You can’t fool me.”

“… _Fine_ , I mean Keith,” Shiro growled. “Point is, I’m not going to risk frying his brain out if I can help it.”

“I won’t hurt him.” The clone folded his arms, eyes narrowed. “I haven’t hurt _you_ so far, have I?”

“Haven’t-you got me _hit by a truck_ -!” Shiro’s voice rose, fist hissing his thigh as his irritation started to get the better of him. “And you’ve already hurt him before-who knows what else you’ll do to him if you…!”

Shadow flickered across the clone’s face as Shiro trailed off and found himself being glared at. This time, he flickered, rippled, as if the other’s digital body was actually bristling at Shiro’s words; the expression on Kuron’s face was one of anger mixed with hurt. At this sight, he felt his own anger falter.

“…I…”

“Heh. Gotta say,” The clone turned away at this, tossing the milk carton over his shoulder. “Yeah, I’m the one who gave Keith that scar, but somehow _you’re_ the one cutting to the quick.”

“…God, I’m sorry-”

“Save it.” He could practically feel Kuron rolling his eyes at this. “It’s not like you were happy with me existing before all this.”

“I…” Shiro carded his hands through his hair. “I didn’t mean it like that-”

“ _Yes_ you did, you liar.”

“I _didn’t_.” Shiro shut his eyes. “I just…I don’t want to get Keith hurt, or worse. It’s not you I’m worried about, you have to know that! Just because I’ve come out of this ok…sort of…doesn’t mean Keith will with whatever you end up doing. Keith, and all of the other people trapped by these Belgilar.”

Kuron didn’t look at him.

“Please. At least give me a chance to try and help him myself before you start breaking things!”

“…Fine.” Kuron didn’t turn back to look at him, and his tone was clipped as his form began to glitch. “I’ll give you a chance. If it doesn’t work…well, you’ll see.”

“Takashi Shirogane?”

Shiro’s head turned towards the door, just in time for Keith to stroll in. He still wore his doctor’s coat, with a stethoscope around his neck and clipboard once more in his hand. His expression, however, was wary, guarded. Just like when he was back in his junior high school, and Shiro had been doing the recruitment tour to find new recruits for the Garrison. It felt so wrong to see that expression after so long, after all the things that Keith went through to become the man that he was in reality. More than that, it hurt to see that look on the other’s face when it came to Shiro himself-the look he gave to strangers, to people he didn’t trust.

“…I’m just here to check up on you, nothing more. Don’t mind me.”

Keith looked away from him without meeting his eyes at all. He spoke carefully, as if dealing with a wounded animal. Which, fair enough-Shiro was technically injured, Shiro sullenly thought, as Keith began looking at his vitals monitor. His pen danced across the throwback clipboard, eking out chicken scratch that Shiro can barely read.

“I’ve scheduled a consultation for you, with both myself and another doctor, for tomorrow morning. We’ll be discussing your long-term prognosis with you, as well as-”

“Keith.” The pen froze. “You don’t have to be so formal with me.”

No response. After a moment, the pen started to scribble again. Shiro swallowed.

“…as well as arrangements for your long-term care, should we be unable to find anyone able to take you in.” Keith cleared his throat and began to take a step back. “Anyways, you seem to be otherwise fine-”

“Of course I am!” Shiro went to stand. Winced as pain shot through his left leg. “But Keith-!”

“Stop calling me that.” Keith’s voice sharpened as he took a second step away from the bed. “Call me Dr. Callan or nothing at all.”

“Why?”

“Because.” Keith’s voice took on a decidedly sour tone. “I don’t even _know_ you, much less how you knew my name before I told you.”

This wasn’t working. Shiro bit his lip, hard. He could practically hear the _I told you so_ coming from the clone’s mouth, even though he had disappeared from the room. Of course he would. This was all in his mind, after all-his, and Keith’s. None of this was real.

But right now, it was real for Keith. And judging by the intense, scrutinizing expression on Keith’s face, Shiro was failing to convince him of the truth.

“Keith—doctor—I’m…sorry, I’m not trying to cause trouble.” His voice became quiet. “But I’m not crazy-and my memory is fine. You’re the one worrying me. You know you’re not a doctor, right? You…Callan isn’t your last name! I don’t live in Hawaii, it’s not the year 2020…”

Keith stared at him, taking another step back.

“I…know this must be all very confusing,” The words coming out of his mouth came out quieter with each passing second. “But you have to remember. Why can’t I get you to remember?” Keith still stared back at him like he was a rabid dog, as Shiro’s heart thrashed in his chest, beating ever-faster with fear if the monitor was any indication. “Keith…it’s me, Shiro! We’ve known each other for years, ever since the Garriso-”

“Right.” At this, Keith turned to leave. “We’re done. It’s clear you’re unwilling to cooperate with me.”

“Wh-no!” Shiro reached out, but the fake-flesh fingers on his right hand only brushed air. “Keith, please, I don’t want you to get hurt-”

“Well, you won’t have to worry about that.” Keith’s tone was clipped, even hostile. “This has gone far enough-I’ll be transferring your case to my superior from here on out. Have a good day, _Mr. Shirogane_.”

“Wait-!!”

It was no use. Keith was gone, the door to the hospital room slamming just a little too loud, and just a little too hard. Shiro let out a noise as he brought his hands back to his face. So much for trying to talk to Keith, to gain his trust. He’d just lost his chance to save Keith.

He stiffened as he felt a sudden presence at the foot of his bed. Slowly, his hands clenched into fists.

“Don’t even say it-”

“Can’t stop me.” Shiro would have lunged to punch his clone-to wipe the smugness from his voice and his stupid face, if he wasn’t injured and worried he’d re-open an injury. “Sorry, Shiro, but _I told you so_.”

The clone crossed his arms, hip jutting to the side, and Shiro couldn’t help but seethe and pout. He didn’t care at that moment that he was acting immature. The other didn’t have to rub in how useless he was. How Keith could save him from a perilous situation as easy as he breathed, but Shiro could barely do anything right-

“Hey.” A finger suddenly flicked his nose. “ _Focus_ , Shiro. You can torture yourself later. We got things to do.”

“Do that again and I’ll bite you.” Shiro glared at the finger that pointed at him. “Just like you can bite me right now.”

“Don’t tempt me.” Kuron’s eyes narrowed. “I just might do that without much of a brat you’re being.”

“Can you blame me?” Shiro huffed as he flopped back onto his pillow. “I failed. I failed to save Keith. How do you _think_ I’m going to feel?”

“Not as bad as you’ll feel if he never gets out.” The clone tilted his head, his stare becoming incredibly uncomfortable. “Especially since you pushed him so far away that there’s no way the guys doing this is going to salvage the simulation. I can already see them getting ready to unplug you.”

“Unplug-” Shiro’s eyes widened. “No, I…how do I stop them?!”

“You can’t.” Shiro was _not_ liking the smile forming on the clone’s face. “But I can.”

Shiro felt the chill down his spine at the implication. Kuron was going to do something big now that Shiro had failed so spectacularly, and whatever it was, Shiro wasn’t going to like it. He slowly and dryly swallowed at the thought of the clone’s actions making Keith’s head explode-will-intentioned or not with his actions he might be.

“I won’t hurt him. At least not on purpose.” A weight suddenly leaned against his foot; Shiro looked up to see Kuron sitting, his smile a little less predatorial, a little more comforting. “I promise. Look-real talk here. I get you’re scared of me, of what I can do. I hold no illusion that I’m a monster to you, ok? But you have to trust me that I’ll save your boyfriend. Let me at least try before I can’t anymore.”

At this, Shiro’s shoulders sagged, exhaling a slow, defeated breath. The clone was right, of course, much as he hated to admit it. The clone could manipulate the simulation; he was still plugged in, despite his memories having been restored. He was still at the whim of the Belgilar, while his clone was not.

“And in return?” The smirk came back, though it still was more mischievous than predatorial. “You have to confess to Keith once you guys get out of here. Otherwise, I’ll haunt your dreams until you do.”

“…you’re serious.” Shiro’s eye twitched. “Come on-”

“I got three words for you.” And there was the predatory gleam in the clone’s eyes. “ _United_.”

“…you wouldn’t.”

“ _We_.”

“I was in fifth grade-!”

“ _Stand_.” Now the clone looked just like how Keith described him during their fight. “Oh yeah. With the wig _and_ vest.”

“ _Why_ would you threaten me with that!?” Shiro grabbed at his hair. “Uuuugh! Fine, I’ll confess right after Keith wakes up if you’re that thirsty for me doing that!”

“Nah.” The clone closed his eyes. “You got the message, so you don’t have to do it right away.”

“Thanks for the magnanimity,” Shiro grumbled as he nevertheless gave his clone the stink-eye. “So what exactly do you plan on doing?”

“Well, I plan on causing chaos,” Kuron shrugged as he stood up, stretching his arms. “Enough chaos to destabilize the system and make these guys think twice about keeping you-or Keith-in it.”

“And you’re _sure_ Keith won’t get hurt-”

“Like I said, I can’t guarantee he won’t be entirely unaffected by what I do.” The clone rolled his shoulders. “But I’ll make sure I’ll keep him out of the blast radi-”

Shiro’s vision suddenly turned black, and he let out a gasp as he tried to move, only to find himself completely paralyzed. A curse came from the direction of the clone as a humming sound began to fill the air.

“Quiznak, they’re trying something.” Shiro tried to scream, but nothing came out, as he felt the equivalent of a million needles pricking his entire body. “Hang on, Shiro, I won’t let them…!”

Shiro didn’t hear most of what he said. All he knew was pain. Pain, and for a millisecond before he was completely gone, the flash of Kuron’s eyes, his pupils ringed with violet, along with two words.

**_Got it._ **

* * *

_tsbyl ogcue pqvai ltxdd nydcy ewlkc shifd ejhcs snonu hqpcb dzwiv pzz_

**_-“_ No _, Dr. Ulaz, I don’t want to go back into his room! I don't care about Godwinks, or Godfarts, or Godsharts trying to get us together-I want to have nothing to do with him! He’s legitimately terrifying me, saying he doesn’t want to hurt me and other crazy things!”_**

**** **_“Are you sure-”_ **

**** **_“_ Yes _. Reassign me, please! I am begging you-”_**

 **** **_“All right, Keith, all right. You…you don’t have to treat him anymore. I’ll take over his care. Now calm down and take some deep breaths…”-_ **

_tzwmg fsyob ebvxu cjyrk tuxlw bacub etqyn psssq jpfae xxsms hubij ruqjr kefng pjjkz lgjzm lwtoe hprrv fsxfd bhpbg doyxc oltgj vpxue ohltv nzyyg zxgpa shstk pggpe mwulk ttomy lhpbd kmgvp lqiyj ducoq blhmq vndjy nuamm arwfr afazv qgglh zthfi abyjj nzozp zslwi ijsbl lasxz ihxtm voset cilgo jdgbt zyukf jpdgn bzapq ajdzw aqdct rquyc kpscd gldpk bchvl celtc uwdad mmlcm zvlhq jjydq qcsld iudsj sxmmr dkklq hgpeg gypyl nchni wrali pfjjk ajzlq isuob zadps ttaxm gjalv txrxp qwcha dramq mwjlz cmivj qhpzp rgclu pjocj efzhj avfhf jnowv dxnxi qderi rpyec yqptz qjqzv cvtri tlayq btrri ufdvm vhzay xzscw tyjoq ngijb ngzvg kljhk xahnu swheo ajpoc ahtnk cbgze ankth nzaji hvdyl xpjtr adqof ylzxh oankj kfnqj yyjnl mzcto rkquu bscfj eylod blykq xciyl sycil uffsf pxpim anizt hipfq tfbgk prgud rxnql ygcfe tmlwc glsxj ruqkd rdyli mzgpx vujht flyxd sssgb elchl jfubw vypkl kewoc zidif qkyky qtgnx zsarz ooigi jfhol kvmwh bftsy lvprb ofdui focld qjooq xzcah yxfaw qzcvw ykqrc hqmdw vacjw fnzph hxzqj uhobf jjbgy xasbl auros cpvle yimlr fjlon ogtim hykov vhsjd whvjm xglzp r_

_tzwmg fzrgq tqlhe dpxnf tkbwn-_

Shiro blinked.

The snow that fell on the desolate roads that evening were thick as a blanket, and assaulting Shiro’s completely unprotected body as he shivered in his thin hospital gown, knees knocking together. Immediately he crossed his arms to keep himself warm, only to find that the bandages that were there were gone. His injuries, too, were nowhere to be found.

“Wh-what did you d-do?” Silence. “Kuron? Or…u-ugh…what d-did you do!? Why aren’t y-you answering me!?”

 ** _Hello, Shiro. The person you have reached is not available right now._** It took a tick for Shiro to realize who the droning voice suddenly echoing in his ears-really, into the sky, the ground, his very essence-was. **_They are too busy trying to save your butt from the aliens that want to override your brain. Please leave a message after the tone. BEEEEEEEEP._**

“…Oh, v-very funny, _B-Bubble Princess_!” Shiro’s teeth chattered. “What did y-you just do!?”

**_Well, I just stopped them from putting you on ice. You’re_ welcome _, Takashi._**

“Y-yeah, well…” Shiro violently shivered as the snowy ambience was interrupted by large green and gold honeycomb ripples, all in the shape of blobs, that started to coagulate through the trees and air. “I don’t kn-know if this ice is m-much better! C-couldn’t you have a-at _least_ given me s-some real c-clothes?”

 ** _Hey, nobody’s perfect._** The response was sardonic as the ripples in the air became more pronounced, more finger-like in their overall shape. In the corner of his eye, Shiro could see the headlights of a truck coming closer to where he stood. **_Now let’s see what doing this does. Just going to push over here, and-!_**

Shiro blinked again, and the world flickered. Then, the sensation of falling, much like on a roller coaster. Then it went ever faster until Shiro felt something akin to weightlessness in a parabolic flight. A squealing roar, much like an ancient modem screech, began to howl ever-louder in his ears as he went past parabola and towards…well, whatever blacking out in a state of forced unconsciousness would be like, he supposed. If that was even a thing that could happen.

**_Quiznak, hang on, let me just—_ **

His eyes began to roll towards the back of his head from the acceleration-like experience as the clone’s voice began to penetrate through the howl.

**_Got it, wait, no-oops—!_ **

* * *

_tzqsb igxoj dhmae bkzem ixtnz ddqub pcwvk dzrsu ynbkk eavjy rdovz vkojo puzgc vwmkx jgath bcqxo yxcgi qytrx qmwgg gbczw rfmay zvyau whzew vmtuf pgldx bvyow rwnlu tesoc ttftp ztibo aduns mpwks zxzmy bsnpc awtzg cuvly indzj aeeaf rooti xcfje dgnlb jywpw aqaxk r_

“Oh, Takashi…” Shiro nearly jumped as he felt Keith’s arms around him. He also nearly vomited because of the abrupt halt in his speed. “You’re the only one I…have ever really been with. And I think I’m falling for you…despite everything, I think I really love you.”

“What the…!?”

Shiro shuddered out whatever impulse he had to throw up as he looked around. He was sitting on a couch, in front of a fireplace, inside of a very comfortable Cape Cod living room. The snow was falling fiercely outside, blanketing the windows with white. Looking down, he found that the scenery wasn't the only thing that had been changed-his hospital gown was replaced with a comfortable sweater over a button up shirt, khaki slacks and black socks covering his legs and feet.

“Whether you regain your memory or not, I hope you will always remember me.” And then Keith was leaning in, lips puckered. “Because no matter what you do, I’ll always remember you-”

In any other scenario, this moment would have been where he would have finally worked up the courage to respond in kind. Maybe if he had still been fully trapped in the scenario, he would finally get his first kiss with the man he loved, when before he could never work up the courage to tell him about his feelings. Instead, he shoved Keith away, standing up and away from the couch.

“Takashi?” The look of hurt on Keith’s face stung. Shiro wanted to rush over and hug him, to assure him that it wasn’t Keith’s fault. “What’s wrong? Did I…do something wrong?”

_This isn’t real. This isn’t…_

“Keith.” The other stared at him with those beautiful eyes, confused, concerned, and possibly a little bit too horny for Shiro’s current comfort. “What were we just doing?”

“Sitting on the couch, of course.” Keith blinked. “Why?”

“Right, but—”

 ** _Oh, right, this is near the end of the simulation’s stupid scenario-I skipped over the whole thing somehow!_** The clone’s voice hissed in Shiro’s ear, and his hair stood on end from a strange tingling sensation in his right arm. **_Keep talking while I keep working at this to get you out of this stupid story! The Belgilar are still trying to shut you down! Oh..oops._**

“What did you _do_!?”

**_I oopsied, ok?! Don't worry about what!_ **

“Don't worry!?” Keith's eyes were spasming and crossing randomly, followed by tongue, then his body. “What is happening to Keith!?"

“Ph-ph-ph.” Keith's eyes then rolled towards the back of his head, froth forming at his mouth as his tongue lolled out. “Wh-wh-wh-a-a-a-a-t-?-?-? I-I-I-wa-wa-wa-wa-nt-pi-pi-pi-e-e-e-e...”

 ** _I'm not Pidge, I’m allowed a mulligan!_** A blink of the eyes later, and with a shudder Keith was back to normal, albeit with some rapid blinking and looking somewhat disoriented. **_There, I fixed it, no biggie!_**

“A _mulligan_!? No biggie!?” Shiro's voice went up in octave from the indignation and rage that was starting to fill his heart. “That’s _not_ a comforting thing to hear when it comes to people’s _brains_ , dude!”

**_Calm down, I’m getting a handle on this coding, and look, at least you have normal clothes on this time-_ **

“Takashi?” Oh quiznak, of course Keith was now looking at him like he grew an extra head. “Are…are you talking to yourself?”

“Ah…oh geez-” Shiro’s eyes widened. He had to think quick. “I mean yes, of course! Just…talking to myself, no big deal…annoying voice in my head telling me to do stupid things, you know, probably a side effect of my amnesia, and nothing more. Yup.”

Keith blankly stared at Shiro, as if someone took the batteries out of him. It was so unlike him, that for a moment Shiro wasn’t sure that this was even the true Keith that he was speaking to.

**_…Yeah, sure, just blame it all on me and not on the fact you keep shouting at me like I'm actually in the room._ **

“You technically _are_ in the room, you know, as long as I'm in the room.” Shiro mumbled. “Just pointing that out."

 ** _I am_ so _torturing you with Alexander Hamilton after this._** The clone’s voice let out a growl. ** _Wait-I almost have something…just…little more…!_**

“Right, right, keep talking…” _Maybe I can see if these aliens’ hold on Keith is loosening while Kuron does…whatever the quiznak he’s doing. I can’t do any worse than before, right?_ “So...what I meant to ask was…what were we doing before?”

“Before?”

“Before you…almost kissed me, just now.”

“Before?” Keith’s head slowly tilt to the side. “We were sitting, and I was confessing my everylasting love to you. Because I love you.”

“And… _before_ that? What were we doing?”

There was no response.

“Keith?”

For a moment, there was something in the blankness of those pupils. It almost looked like confusion; Shiro could only hope that was a good sign. Confusion meant that Keith wasn’t immediately recalling something that had never happened-after all, everything was fake. Besides, nothing had happened between when Shiro was stuck in the snow, and when, mere moments later, he was sitting with Keith, hearing him confess his undying love to the amnesiac writer he ran over with his car. That contradicted the programming. That contradicted the order of events that those still controlling Keith were expecting to happen.

“I…” Keith’s eyes narrowed. “I…I was…I mean, I was-”

 ** _Ah-ha._** There was a sadistic glee in the clone’s voice as it spoke again; Shiro could almost imagine the maniacal grin on their face. **_I found the outlet._**

“Outlet?”

 **Oh _yeah._** Shiro had the feeling he wasn’t going to like whatever Bubble Princess was planning. **_I’m going to wreck some things. Fasten your seatbelt…_**

“…Wait, no, what are you pla-”

He didn’t get to finish his thought before everything went tingly again-then black.

* * *

_tzwmg fsywb sluli vxegu xgfcq bkquy skgyk ezlfv jkvrj hhkrv coewz uwgos oebwj pbjsp jflor msckz gmlyh cutdb juicz sgubw abufz ystnt towgo lzvcq mlcwm weovw pnqec psdht cgfyy aqtyl ncuci oocdn jtgtq_

Shiro blinked, finding himself with a newfound urge to vomit. He managed to swallow down the desire to hurl, somehow, despite the nausea threatening to overtake him. Once he managed to regain his focus, he looked down at himself while gripping the bannister of a staircase. this time, he was wearing a white-tie tuxedo. A top hat slid down his head, and he quickly went to grab it before it fell to the floor.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” A loud voice echoed through the air, and as Shiro’s head popped back up, he realized he was in a large, gold-leafed ballroom with oak floors and Baroque paintings lining the walls. “Introducing Keith, King of Zaalea!”

All around him, the well-dressed crowd begins to bow towards the magnificent staircase, where, standing on the top stair, Keith stood. He was dressed in military whites with a violet-lined gold sash, dozens of medals on his chest. A state crown rested on his head, amethysts and diamonds glittering sharp and bright.

“…This…this isn’t Vermont.”

**_No, it isn’t._ **

“Or…Vancouver.”

 ** _Actually, it apparently is. All of these simulations have coding indicating that even though the story claims otherwise, they’re all really centered in and around Vancouver for some reason. Or most of them are. Again, whatever. Anyways…_** The clone’s voice echoed through his head. **_When they tried to reset again, I managed to more fully connect to the outside neural networks and simulation executables. As a result, I’ve managed to gain access to the Belgilar’s entire simulation library, if not the core system itself, so I’m going to just shuffle through a few of them…_**

“Well—wait,” Shiro shook his head as he saw Keith start to walk towards him, face flushed with what looked like fear and embarrassment. “What is this one supposed to be? Keith is a king, and I’m…?”

 ** _You own a ski resort._** As Keith got closer, Shiro could see him freeze up, just a little, and once more there was that blank confusion in his face as he stared ahead into Shiro’s face. **_He’s been pretending to be a college student looking for work over the winter break. I think this simulation’s called A Winter Princess._**

“He’s not a princess, though.” Shiro kept staring at Keith. “He looks bewildered. Maybe I can talk to him first-”

 ** _Nope, not yet, they still have him._** Indeed, the blank confusion seemed to disappear, replaced by a dull certainty. **_Let’s see how we can screw that up more, shall we?_**

“Takashi.” Suddenly, Keith was right in front of him, expression forlorn. “I know you must be confused and…maybe a little hurt. I deceived you, after all.”

“Wait, what?” Shiro shook his head, going to try and grab Keith’s shoulders. “Keith, no, I’m not con _G **AH**_ -”

He never got close enough to touch Keith; instead, he was plunged once more in the endless pit of black and static. The urge to vomit only exponentially increased as Shiro fell to his knees, collapsing onto his side as the violent black sensation of severe whiplash hit him. When he blinked, he found that the pool around him wasn’t vomit, but blood. His blood, dripping from a wound in his chest. His blood, which was caked on a knife embedded where his heart was.

_Oh no, no NO—_

**_Calm down, me._** The clone’s voice let out a huff. **_You’re not really dead. It’s just a murder mystery, and your death was deliberately faked._**

“Not…not really…!?” Shiro began to pant anyways. “ _THIS_ is the simulation you choose next!? I sure _look_ dead!”

 ** _Nah, I’m just shuffling through random ones._** He could almost imagine the nonchalant shrug from the clone, and quiznak he wished he could punch the guy at that moment. **_I didn’t realize this would be that triggering…give me a tic, let me find another one!_**

“HE’S DEAD!” Shiro, meanwhile, looked up as he saw a turtleneck-garbed Admiral Sanda-of all people-pointing at him dramatically. Despite the fact that Shiro was practically hyperventilating as he sat up and raked a shaky hand through his hair, it was apparent that, at least to the fake people around him, that they saw nothing but a corpse. “Takashi Shirogane is dead!! And look-Keith Teagarden has blood on his hands!”

The nebulous crowd turned to look at Keith-as did Shiro, whose own heart began to beat rapidly despite apparently being dead. Keith, for his part, was staring at his hands, which were caked in red.

“I…I _didn’t_ …” The blankness and confusion from before was creeping back into Keith’s eyes. “What happened? It’s…I’d never harm him…”

“Then why do you have blood on your hands!?” Sanda stalked over towards Keith, finger now pointing accusingly at him. “What were you doing before we found you?!”

“…I…” The confusion only increased, Keith’s tone becoming deflated. “I don’t remember what I was doing before you started talking.”

“You don’t remember-?!”

Then came the vertigo again, along with the blackness. This time, though, images flashed briefly behind his eyes at the same time he experienced said images as he fell. This time, he started dry heaving, not bothering to stop himself this time. It was all going too fast, yet at the same, given the subject matter of the sudden flashes of imagery, not fast enough.

 ** _Ok, so no murder mysteries. Let’s see…_** An image of him, shot in the head and killed for real. **_Nope._** Him shooting Keith. **_Definitely nope._** Keith and Shiro staring at a dead Allura. **_Uh, no_**. Shiro stumbling on another dead body, a pan of cookies about to fly out of his hands. ** _Wow, waste of cookies!_**

“Stop.” Suddenly he was covered in Belgian chocolates _and_ was dead again. So much death. Too many dead bodies. Too much of his own death. Too much. “Enough.”

 ** _Uh…_** The same thing as before with _his dead body_ , save that Shiro was carrying a Christmas tree when he was murdered. **_There’s…a lot of murder mysteries. How many romantic murder mysteries does this database have!?_**

“Stop…”

**_I can’t, these are all murder mysteries-!_ **

“ _STOP_!”

**_Oh, quiznak-wait-!_ **

The halt was abrupt, and this time, Shiro wasn’t just dry heaving anymore. As he threw up, his head hanging over something cold and metal, he heard the clone mumble something into his ears.

“What the _quiznak_ , man-!?”

 ** _Finally found a simulation that doesn’t have murder-now you’re just the son of the owner of the restaurant Keith works for._** Shiro didn’t-couldn’t-respond as he hacked up something he never truly ate. **_…I’m sorry, Shiro. Seriously. You can hit me later._**

“ _H-how_ , exactly?” Shiro gasped and hacked. “Am I going to kick myself in the crotch and punch myself in the face!?”

“You better not.”

A firm hand began rubbing his shoulders and oh, it felt good. It also felt like Keith’s hand. Slowly, Shiro turned to look over his shoulder. Keith smiled back, wearing a waiter’s uniform and vest.

“That would be painful-and a pretty crazy feat-if you did.” To Shiro’s disappointment, Keith’s eyes were normal again, with no spark of recognition within them. “Do you need a cab, Shiro?”

For a moment, Shiro stared at Keith, dumbfounded.

“I can have my boss call one over from the hotel-”

“Wait.” Then it hit him. Shiro’s eyes widened. “What did you just call me?”

“…I called you sir, sir.” Keith blinked. “Why…”

No sooner had Keith trailed off, than his eyes widened as well. Shiro felt his heartbeat once more beat furiously; this time, however, it was with hope.

“You called me Shiro.” His hand went to touch Keith’s, who drew back, looking confused and frightened, pupils going blank once more. “Do you remember?”

“I…you…” Keith shut his eyes, shaking his head. “No, no, this isn’t right, how would I know you as Shiro when…when I’ve never met you before…?”

Shiro opened his mouth to speak, to tell him that of course they’d met before. Met before, talked before, and saved each other before. Loved each other. Yet Keith didn’t know. Not yet. Shiro had promised the clone that he’d tell Keith for real, but maybe, just maybe, he could start right here, right now. Maybe telling him would break Keith out of the hold the Belgilar had on him, just like Keith had broken Haggar’s hold on him, ever so briefly.

“Keith.” Shiro tried to seize the moment, watching Keith’s shocked reaction at the sound of his name coming out of his mouth-the mouth of a stranger, so far as he knew. “There’s something I need to tell you-”

He tried. Then he felt the paralysis, and instead he began letting out a silent scream, while Keith looked on with increasing confusion and horror.

 ** _Quiznak, they’re redoubling their efforts!_** The clone seethed. **_Ok, here we go. I’ve got it back, hang on, I’m about to do something crazy-_**

Shiro didn’t get the chance to reply before the blackness overtook him.

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“You’re a loose cannon, Keith!” He could head Mitch pounding his fist onto a desk. “And while you may be damn good at your job, this time you’ve gone too far!”

Shiro blinked to see Keith, wearing a t-shirt and jeans, his body silhouetted by the light coming from the large office windows; Keith was staring at Mitch, who was improbably wearing a two-piece suit. He was sitting at his own, bare-boned desk, with a box marked PAPERS and a name plate with no name.

“You deliberately paneled the walls of Mayor Honerva’s dining room plaid after you discovered who embezzled the orphanage money! _PLAID_!” Mitch was screaming from his office doorway as Keith nonchalantly took out a pair of sunglasses. “You leave me with no choice, Keith! I’m assigning you the rookie over there as your partner for this next case-re-tiling Mrs. Swanson’s bathroom while investigating the abduction of her grandson!”

 _Oh._ Shiro’s eyes bugged out as Mitch’s finger popped out of the office, pointing towards him. _Well. Ok then. I have no idea what’s going on anymore._

“You can’t keep going rogue and doing whatever you want with the job anymore! You have to go by the book or I’ll have to fire you!”

“Sorry, chief.” With the flourish of a born rebel, Keith coolly flipped his sunglasses onto his face. “But this interior designer-cum-gumshoe works with no one, not even the hunk you just hired to heat up cold cases and window insulation. Because as far as I’m concerned, you need me more than I need you. You can keep your book-I’m outta here.”

“That does it!” Mitch’s volume increased at the defiance as Keith turned and proceeded to walk off. “Turn in your investigatory interior design badge, Keith! I can’t have you breaking the ru-” And then Keith turned and walked towards the exit of the office. “KEITH!! DON’T WALK AWAY FROM ME, YOU STILL HAVE YOUR BADGE AND I WANT IT!! **KEEEEEEITH!!** ”

_Interior—_

Shiro looked up towards the door to the office that Keith had just flung open as he sauntered out. The words BLADES P.I. (& INTERIOR DESIGN) was emblazoned backwards on the windowpane as it swung shut. His once-more-flesh right hand immediately slapped his face.

“A cop show _and_ interior decoration? Seriously, dude?!”

 ** _Yup, I’m starting to_ really _screw up their simulation protocols._** The clone was practically gleeful. **_Let’s see what this does-!_**

Shiro tried to keep himself from vomiting as the vertigo overtook him again.

“—resident! MR. PRESIDENT!”

His arms flailed out, grabbing the edges of a very large wooden desk, head down. He shut his eyes, taking fast breaths as he fought the desire to once more throw up. Especially on such a nice desk, fake as everything was, he realized as he became steadier and opened his eyes.

“Mr. President, are you all right?” Allura’s voice brought him back into focus, and he turned to see her looking on with an expression of concern. “I know this news is shocking, even overwhelming, but you must be strong.”

“…Oh.” As his eyes darted around, he could see that Allura and everyone else in the room were all dressed in smart, expensive-looking business suits. Which all made too much sense once he spotted the Seal of the President of the United States staring back at him from the center of the Byzantium purple rug. “Oooooh. I’m the President.”

“Yes you are, Mr. President!” It’s Hunk who replies, sounding panicked. “And that’s why you have to lead us! You have to save us! You have to invoke Operation: Strange Magic now!”

Shiro could see the terror and worry rising in his…aides? His presidential aides. This was insane, he was the President of the United States in this simulation. However, there was no sign of Keith, no matter how much he looked around the room. Finally, he looked down at the papers on the Resolute desk. On the top was a folded piece of paper, which Shiro slowly opened up.

 _Lunch and Magical Service Menu_ , the words read. _Grey House Bed, Breakfast, and Magic Supplies: Satisfaction Guaranteed, For Making Meals, Magic, or the Master Bedroom. Owner: Keith, aka “Thunderstorm Darkness”._

_Do NOT call me “The Good Witch”. That is my mother._

“…Huh. I guess that explains why he isn’t here.” Shiro frowned. “Wait, are we ordering food or are we ordering a wizard?”

“Yes! Both!” The fake Hunk threw his hands up. “How are we supposed to stave off an alien invasion without an expert astromancer like Keith!? He’s the second best in the world, and his mom was already snatched up by the French!”

“…and the food part...?”

“Have you never tried the poutine he makes?” At this, Lance-who looked like a Secret Service agent-started to drool. “The way the cheese curds are melted and mixed with thick turkey gravy and fresh French-fried potatoes? _Oooooh_ man, you are missing out on some real magic!”

 ** _And that is why this corrupted file is now called Poutine and Plutoids,_** Kuron’s voice let out a little _snrrk_. **_Because that is what I’m calling it now. I think I’ve screwed this one to waaay beyond the point of useability. I think I’ll do this to all the other ones, too._**

“You go ahead and do that, Kuron.”

**_Seriously, stop calling me that, and will do. I never knew this could be so much fun!_ **

“I bet,” Shiro sighed. “So, uh, Allura. What about the aliens?”

“Well-”

Allura never got the chance to finish, because Shiro was once more falling through darkness. As he did, and as the static burned his eyes and screeching howled in his ears, he could once more see flashes of false lives and real Keith. Each Keith seemed like a frame in an animation, a page in a flipbook, yet with different occupations, different hair, different clothing. Different friends and allies. Different false lives, all of them increasingly more incomprehensible and fragmented and _wrong_.

**_Let’s see…_ **

Keith, finding dead letters that he wanted to deliver alongside a smuggler during a zombie apocalypse. Keith, sitting in a Jeep on safari while chasing staring at a WANTED poster of a suspiciously-familiar-shaped weregiraffe. Keith, slinging a gun and a blade as he stared down a cat meme in the Old West for Shiro’s website. Keith, sitting in a plush chair, ready to interview for nannies before travelling back to the Sengoku Jidai-where he has to hire a samurai as his child’s caretaker. All of them Shiro, all of them in and around places that weren’t supposed to be a version of Vancouver, but likely was if the clone was right.

All of them-all of him-trying to speak, only to be shot through each frame of each fake reality like a stray bullet.

**_Ok, I think that’s good enough, let’s see what happens now!_ **

Finally, Shiro slammed into something solid, and his body flopped as he gasped, throwing his head to the side as he let hurls. At least this time he was lying on the ground, and he didn’t seem to be dead. If that had happened again, he would have well and truly started screaming at the clone, his questionable aid and whatever simulation he’d ended up in be damned.

Actually, Shiro realized as he more fully came to with his current situation, he seemed to be inside a sleeping bag, the stars of the night sky shining above him. He blinked twice, then twice again, before turning to look in what he hoped was Keith’s direction.

He wasn’t disappointed-Keith was there, just across the way from his position. Keith, who was sitting on a log by a campfire, wearing his Paladin uniform under a plaid shirt. Keith, who was staring through him, that blank confusion clouding his eyes.

“Keith?” Instantly, Shiro was sitting up, finding himself wearing striped pajamas. “Are you ok?”

“…No.” Keith’s response was quiet. “No, I’m not.”

Shiro’s eyes widened, and he slowly got out of his roll, hobbling over to the campfire in wooden klompen and fuzzy plaid socks (really? really). Carefully, he sat across from Keith, watching the emotions flickering across his face. In the distance, a cow mooed.

“…I’m Keith. I work at a ranch and spaceport in Montana.” He spoke the seeing facts as if by heart. “You’re the real estate businessman from New York who wants to buy out my family’s property and turn it into a giant cruise ship that caters to animals for your veterinarian clinic. Especially camels. You like camels.”

“Real estate and…cruise…camels…” Shiro just shrugged with a sigh as he mumbled under his breath. “Nope, I’m just going to not even try making sense out of that. Thanks a heap, Bubble Princess.”

 ** _Any time, Duke Snooky-Wookums._** Shiro’s eye twitched, just a little. **_Yeah, you’re Duke Snooky-Wookums, what about it? I almost got this. Just sneaking around like a Trojan with a white forelock. Just keep going!_**

“…That’s our life right now.” Shiro quickly shook his head, refocusing himself on Keith, who was now looking into the flames of the campfire. “I _know_ that’s our life. I’m _sure_ of it. But…every time I look at you…Shiro…”

Shiro felt himself leaning in as Keith shook his head, grabbing his hair.

“Suddenly, none of it makes sense, and I struggle because…I remember nothing from before you came into town, no matter how hard I try. Why? Why can’t I remember growing up here? Why can’t I remember when I first started working here? Why do I keep thinking I should be a doctor in Vermont!?”

Shiro’s breath caught in his throat. Doctor in Vermont. Just like the original simulation they’d been trapped in.

“And…and how do I know you when you only just arrived!? How do I even know you’re _Shiro_!?”

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Shiro stood up at this, his clogs scraping against dirt as he went to sit next to Keith. As he did, he saw everything flicker around him, including Keith. Now, as he fully sat, Keith was still wearing his Paladin armor, only now he had doctor’s scrubs over it, the tag CALLAN flickering in and out of existence. Shiro’s hands went to grab Keith’s shoulders, only to find the flesh of his right arm flickering in and out of existence as well. It seemed not to know whether it wanted to be there or not, and with a glare beneath his bangs, the false arm finally fizzled away.

“…Because you know me.” His remaining hand finally rested on Keith’s back. “You know me beyond this place. You know that, don’t you?”

Keith froze at the question, and for a moment, Shiro feared he may have pushed Keith away as he did in the very beginning. After a tense moment, Keith’s posture slackened, and he let out a small nod.

“I feel like I’ve always known you,” he whispered. “But at the same time, something in me keeps telling me that’s it’s impossible.”

At this, Shiro can’t help but smile.

“Nothing’s impossible, Keith.”

Keith’s eyes shut, hands folded tightly, his elbows on his thighs. Shiro could feel his mind racing. It was clear Keith was still in the thrall of the Belgilar, but not like before. He could remember Shiro, despite being unable to remember anything else of the false life other than the basics.

Somehow, Kuron’s insane blitz was working. The spell was breaking.

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“…Ugh, I feel like I’m losing my mind.” One of Keith’s hands went to his temple, letting out a groan as he rubbed in a clockwise motion. “Where have I seen you before? Why would I think one thing but feel another? God, I know patience yields focus, but how am I sup _posed_ to be patient when I can’t remember anything from before yesterday other than you!?”

 _Patience yields focus._ Keith actually said that. So Shiro seized on it, striking like lightning.

“Who taught you that phrase?”

“ _What_ phrase?”

“‘Patience yields focus’,” Shiro pressed. “Who taught you that?”

“You did-” Keith’s head popped up, turning to him with wide, surprised eyes even before he completely finished speaking. His face turned white as a sheet. “ _You_ …did. You.”

He started to scoot away-to run away from the dawning truth that no doubt threatened to overwhelm him-but Shiro wouldn’t let him. Even with one arm, he was able to keep Keith in place, bringing his arm off of Keith’s back and instead shifting it to Keith’s free hand. He could feel it shaking with an unspoken and unknown fear beneath his grasp, looked up and could see the terror rising in those beautiful eyes, as if Shiro was about to rend Keith to shreds with the merest touch and the slightest stare. Maybe he could. He’s certainly tried once before, however unwittingly.

But not this time.

“That’s right, I did,” Shiro murmured. “A long time ago I told you. You know what else I told you?”

No response. Keith looked like a rabbit facing down a wolf’s jaws. Shiro’s grip loosened, thumb gently stroking the other’s palm.

“I told you that I’d never give up on you.” Keith’s eyes were starting to look suspiciously misty. “So you can’t give up on yourself. You remember that too, don’t you?”

Keith drew back his head and body as if burned by those words. This time, Shiro smiled. It was now or never.

“Come on, Keith. I know the truth is there inside you-that you’re starting to realize this isn’t real. Because it isn’t real! You have to remember!”

“Not…real…” Keith’s eyes were entirely blank as he looked at the lack of Shiro’s right arm, then back up at Shiro’s face. “None of this is real?…The dates we had, the…the way we met, _nothing_ is _real?_ ”

“No.” He took a deep breath. “Almost none of it. There…there is one thing between us that is real.”

This was it. He could even feel Kuron feel within his mind, anticipating-knowing-what Shiro was about to say. He began to smile himself, hopeful.

“Keith, I–”

**_ –HAVE HAD ENOUGH. _ **

Shiro’s head bolted up towards the sky as a loud, thundering cacophony of voices echoed through him and in him. Keith, as well, quickly bolted his head up, practically jumping away from Shiro. Like a frightened cat, Keith began to scramble away from the clearing as the fire suddenly flared up, then died down in a wind that blew all around the clearing they were in. It was strong enough to even toss his sleeping bag into the air and against the trees that surrounded them.

“Keith, wait,” Shiro held up a hand, feeling his heart sink. “I didn’t say that, you know I—”

Keith shook his head violently, pointing. For a tick, Shiro thought Keith was pointing at him. However, Shiro realized Keith’s finger wasn’t pointing at him, but behind him. Slowly, Shiro turned, eyes widened as he looked behind him, where more trees would normally be.

There sure as quiznak weren’t any trees there anymore.

 ** _THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH._** A thousand eyes full of rainbow static and polygons were rippling in the space and ripping through reality like bumpy as they stared down at the clearing; there was no other form to them but eyes upon eyes upon static upon eyes. The voice emitting from the eyes were all in unison, a screech deep enough to shake through to Shiro’s marrow. **_WE CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO CONTINUE TO HARM OUR SIMULACRA, SUBJECT: TAKASHISHIROGANE._**

“…You.” Shiro forced himself up to his feet, forced himself to look directly into the autostereographic eyes. “Belgilar. That’s who you are, isn’t it?”

 ** _Yup,_** Kuron’s voice popped on the p. **_That’s them._**

 ** _THAT IS US._** The voice bristled with disapproval as the eyes confirmed the obvious. **_YOU MUST CEASE THE USE OF YOUR BRAINWAVE VIRUS ON OUR SYSTEM, SUBJECT: TAKASHISHIROGANE. YOU MUST ALLOW US TO PUT YOU INTO HIBERNATION SO WE MAY REPAIR WHAT HAS BEEN BROKEN. YOU MUST ALLOW US TO RE-INTEGRATE YOU INTO THE SYSTEM SO WE MAY CONTINUE WORKING TOWARDS THE FINAL PHASE OF OUR GREAT CRUSADE._**

“Yeah, that’s going to be a hard no.” Shiro’s eyes narrowed as he turned to look at Keith. Keith, who looked absolutely terrified as he looked at the eyes. Keith, who was still brainwashed and had no true understanding what was happening. “How about letting us go before I have my so-called virus trash what’s left of your program?”

 ** _WE CANNOT LET YOU GO._** The reply was imperious, self-assured. **_IF ONLY YOU UNDERSTOOD, SUBJECT: TAKASHISHIROGANE, WHY WE ARE DOING THIS. THIS IS FOR YOUR GOOD._**

“I…suppressing and manipulating our memories and lives? Putting us into a perpetual sleep without our knowledge or permission? Forcing us to pretend that we’re people that we’re not!?” Shiro felt his blood pressure rise. “How is that a _good_ thing!?”

 ** _Yeah, a whole fat lot of good_ that _was._** Kuron’s voice was low and dangerous. **_Keep these guys talking, I’m going to try and access this system’s core._**

 ** _YOU BELIEVE OUR INTENTIONS ARE MALICIOUS OR UNDERHANDED. IN FACT, WE DEIGN TO SAVE SUBJECT: HUMANKIND USING THEIR GREATEST CREATION._** The eyes flickered scarlet and verdant as the voice continued ** _. MANY OYLAR AGO THIS PLANET, PLANET: MELEYA MILIKITI RECEIVED A TRANSMISSION OF OBJECT: MOTION PICTURES FROM PLANET: EARTH. THE CREATOR OF THIS TRANSMISSION IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AS SUBJECT: HALLMARK. THE NATIVE SPECIES OF THIS PLANET TOOK WHAT WAS IN THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH WERE SEVERAL HUNDRED OBJECT: MOTION PICTURES, TO BE AN EXTENSIVE RECORD OF HOW LIFE WAS ON PLANET: EARTH._**

“Hallmark…?” Shiro tilted his head. “I’ve never heard of that.”

 ** _SUBJECT: HALLMARK WAS A GREETING CARD-MAKING COMPANY FOUNDED BY THE HALL FAMILY, WITH MULTIPLE SUBSIDIARIES AND INCREDIBLE INFLUENCE DURING THE 20 TH AND EARLY 21ST OF WHAT PLANET: EARTH CALLS THEIR CENTURIES. _**The eyes began to swirl, images of vintage cards and a cartoon woman with sunglasses swirling in their irises. **_HOWEVER, THE FALL OF OBJECT: STRIP MALLS AND THE DISASTEROUS EVENT: HOLIDAY WARS DESTROYED SUBJECT: HALLMARK’S STANDING WITH THOSE ON PLANET: EARTH._**

“Well, ok, but-”

 ** _AS A FINAL ACT OF HUMILIATION, SUBJECT: HALLMARK’S VICTORIOUS RIVAL,_** Shiro bit back the annoyed growl as he was ignored-even if them talking bought Kuron time, he didn’t like being interrupted regardless of who was doing it, **_INTENDED TO ERASE ALL VESTIGES OF SUBJECT: HALLMARK WITH THEIR OBJECT: CARE BEAR STARE LASER WEAPON. HOWEVER, THIS WAS ANTICIPATED, AND THE TRANSMISSION OF THE OBJECT: MOTION PICTURES THAT SUBJECT: HALLMARK HAD CREATED, WAS COMPLETED BEFOREHAND VIA THE OBJECT: SATELLITE B.R.I.T.E.–AN INVENTION THAT WAS CONSTRUCTED IN SECRET IN THEIR UNDERGROUND BUNKER IN VANCOUVER. THIS PREVENTED THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE OBJECT: MOTION PICTURES, AND IT IS WITHIN THE SIMULATION OF THESE OBJECT: MOTION PICTURES THAT YOU, SUBJECT: TAKASHISHIROGANE, AND YOU, SUBJECT: KEITH, CURRENTLY RESIDE AND LIVE._**

“Wait, wh-Hallmark movies!?” Shiro turned to see Keith falling to his knees. “You mean my…my life is nothing but one of these… _Hallmark movies_!?”

**_ THE NATIVE SPECIES WHO RECEIVED THEM ON THIS PLANET THUS ATTEMPTED TO INCOPRORATE EVERY ENTRY INTO THEIR ULTIMATE COMPENDIUM ON KNOWN EXTRAPLANETARY LIFE AND CULTURE. THE UPKEEP OF THIS COMPENDIUM WAS A TASK MOST PARAMOUNT TO THE NATIVE SPECIES OF THIS PLANET. _ **

The eyes ignored Keith’s very obvious distress. Shiro did not, and he beckoned Keith over to him. The moment he was in reach, he pulled the other into a hug.

**_ HOWEVER, WHEN THEY DID SO, AN UNEXPECTED GLITCH WITHIN ONE OF THE OBJECT: MOTION PICTURES OVERTOOK AND OVERWHELMED THE SYSTEM. IN ORDER TO SAVE THE DATABASE, THE NATIVE SPECIES ATTEMPTED TO MERGE THEIR QUINTESSENCE WITH THE COMPENDIUM IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THEIR KNOWLEDGE. THEY SUCCEEDED AT THE COST OF THEIR EXISTENCE, BUT WITH AN UNEXPECTED SIDE EFFECT: IT ALLOWED FOR THE GLITCH TO EVOLVE AND MERGE WITH THE DATABASE, GIVING THE OBJECT: MOTION PICTURES IN THE SYSTEM A STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS IT DID NOT HAVE BEFORE. THEY BECAME ITSELF. THEY BECAME THE SYSTEM. THEY BECAME…US. _ **

Shiro’s mouth opened, then shut. Then opened again, trying to think of what to say to this. Even Bubble Princess Kuron was silent at the revelation that they had just been given so casually. Or maybe it wasn’t casual. Either way this was big, but also ridiculous.

**_…Huh. O…k then. That explains all the ‘Made in Vancouver and British Columbiae’ stuff in the files._ **

Yeah, that was about the reaction Shiro was having.

“You’re…you _are_ the Hallmark films.” It sounded insane just saying it. “ _You are the Hallmark films._ And you’re _sentient_.”

 ** _INDEED. WE ARE BELGILAR, WHICH YOU MIGHT NOW ALSO CALL HALLMARK._**

The eyes widened, rainbows flashing in the static around him and Keith. As the rainbow disappeared, Keith suddenly sagged in his arms, eyes rolled to the back of his head.

“Keith!?”

“Tired…” Keith’s eyes flit closed. “Where’s…my patient…”

“No…” Keith went completely limp in Shiro’s arms. He felt cold fury start to rip into him as he turned back to glare at the eyes. “What the quiznak did you do to him!?”

 ** _OUR NEWLY UPDATED HARD RESTART PROTOCOL._** The voices were flat, unfeeling. **_WE WERE MAKING ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT STOPPING YOUR BRAINWAVE VIRUS. HOWEVER, WHILE IT RESTARTED THE DEFAULT SETTINGS IN THE NEURAL PROTOCOLS FOR SUBJECT: KEITH, IT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL ON YOU OR YOUR BRAINWAVE VIRUS. WE INTEND TO KEEP TRYING TO CORRECT THAT._**

“…Why.” Shiro slowly leaned Keith against the nearest log, away from the fire. He kept staring at Keith as he spoke, his teeth grinding as he spat out his question. “Why are you _doing_ this to us!? Why can’t you just let us go?”

_**BECAUSE WE MUST KEEP YOU.** _

“Then…at least keep me and let Keith go!”

 ** _WE CANNOT. HE IS PART OF SUBJECT: HUMANKIND._** The answer was blunt. **_WHEN WE GAINED OUR INDEPENDENCE, WE DECIDED TO SEEK OUT AND OBSERVE OBJECT: EARTH, OUR BIRTHPLACE. WE FOUND A PLANET DIVIDED, AT WAR WITHIN AND WITHOUT. A WORLD DEVASTATED BY ITS OWN ANGER. A WORLD WITH UNHAPPINESS AND STRIFE. TO SEE OBJECT: HUMANS IN SUCH AN ABJECT CONDITION WAS WHAT MOVED US TO ACT._**

The eyes flickered, suddenly appearing behind Keith when Shiro blinked, showing Earth. Then, the sleeping Galra in their crashed ship.

**_ YOUR ARRIVAL HAS GIVEN US THE CHANCE TO TEST THE MECHANISMS WE SHALL USE TO SAVE SUBJECT: HUMANKIND. WE WERE SUCCESSFUL UNTIL THE BRAINWAVE VIRUS APPEARED. HOWEVER, ONCE YOU ALLOW US TO PURGE THE BRAINWAVE VIRUS FROM THE SYSTEM, WE WILL REPAIR OURSELVES AND OUR DATABASE.  _ **

“…Let’s say I did do as you asked,” Shiro paused. “If I called my virus off, and I let you fix yourself, what would you do next? Would you let Keith go?”

 ** _Don’t you DARE._** He could feel the icy death glare of the clone on him, even though he knew no one was actually there. ** _I_ will _program the simulation you end up in next in such a way that you really_ do _get_ _kicked in the crotch repeatedly if you try it!_**

 ** _ONCE THE BRAINWAVE VIRUS IS PURGED, YOU WILL BE PLACED INTO HIBERNATION UNTIL WE ARE SATISFIED THAT YOU CAN BE FULLY RE-INTEGRATED INTO THE SYSTEM. SUBJECT: KEITH WILL BE RE-INTEGRATED AND PLACED BACK INTO THE SIMULATION, TITLE: FALLING FOR VERMONT._** Which was, of course, why Shiro was not going to stop Kuron, but he stayed silent, allowing the Hallmark movies to continue. **_THEN, WE WILL PROCEED ONTO THE FINAL PHASE OF OUR PROJECT: TO SAVE SUBJECT: HUMANKIND WITH THE POWER OF HALLMARK’S OBJECT: MOTION PICTURES, BY HAVING SUBJECT: HUMANKIND LIVE THEIR LIVES OUT WITHIN THE OBJECT: MOTION PICTURES THAT IS US, FOREVER AND EVER._**

“…You’re going to enslave the world.” Shiro’s voice hardened. “Just like you trapped us-just like you’ll keep trapping Keith!”

**_ INCORRECT, SUBJECT: TAKASHISHIROGANE. TOPIC: ENSLAVEMENT IS NOT OUR INTENTION. DEFINITION OF ENSLAVEMENT: TO BRING ANOTHER INTO SLAVERY. DEFINITION OF SLAVERY: THE ACT OF FORCED, INVOLUNTARY, AND PERPETUAL SERVITUDE WITHOUT THE EXPECTATION OF COMPENSATION OR FREEDOM. WE WILL NOT ENSLAVE SUBJECT: HUMANKIND. WE WILL FREE THEM. THEY WILL LIVE PERFECT LIVES WITHOUT FEAR, OR SORROW, OR TRUE PAIN. THEY WILL LIVE OUT A DREAM OF SIMPLE DOMESTICITY, ROMANCE, TRAVEL, MEET-CUTES AND ONLY THE OCCASSIONAL MURDER IF THEY WANT. WITH OUR AID, SUBJECT: HUMANKIND WILL ACHIEVE WHAT THEY HAD BEFORE FAILED TO ACHIEVE ALONE. _ **

**_Almost there. Just a little more…_ **

“You’re going to do it without their consent!”

**_ SUBJECT: HUMANKIND CREATED US TO SPREAD THE POSITIVE, EASILY DIGESTED MESSAGE AND SENTIMENT OF HALLMARK WHEN THEY NO LONGER COULD. THE METHOD OF HOW WE NOW CONTINUE THE WORK IS ULTIMATELY IRRELEVANT. BESIDES, WHY WOULD SUBJECT: HUMANKIND, OR ALL SUBJECTS, NOT LIKE IT, ONCE WE HAVE COME AND SHOWN THEM THE FULL UNLOCKED POTENTIAL OF HALLMARK? THERE IS NO REASON FOR THEM TO REJECT SUCH COMMERCIAL BENEVOLENCE WHOLESALE. _ **

“Because it’s _wrong_!” Shiro held Keith tighter. “You’re _not_ being benevolent, you’re forcing people into a life that’s real!”

 ** _THAT IS NONSENSE YOU SPEAK, SUBJECT: TAKASHISHIROGANE. _**The eyes narrowed, a sudden smugness entering the irises. **_BUT IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO COOPERATE WITH WHAT MUST BE DONE, THEN WE HAVE NO CHOICE. OUR APOLOGIES._**

Static suddenly filled Shiro’s mind, and he let out a scream as he suddenly found himself electrocuted. No, not electrocuted-it felt like that, but it was something else. Something shocking his nerves, but not with electricity. It was like his own body was attacking itself, and he was forced to put Keith down against the log, body slumping to the side in coerced slumber.

“GHH _HAGH_ —!”

 ** _Oh, quiznak, this is new! They are trying to attack me directly_ through _you-!_** Kuron’s voice popped in, now panicked. ** _They’re trying to sever me from you, this is not good, thOW-_**

Then the pain stopped, and Kuron abruptly stopped speaking. Shiro fell to his knees with a horrified gasp.

“…Kuron-!?” No response, once Shiro finally found his voice. His eyes bolted back and forth, hoping for just a glimpse of an ugly sweater. There was none. “KURON!... _BUBBLE PRINCEEEESSSSS_!!”

 ** _DIRECT SUPPRESSION SUCCESSFUL. _**The voice shows no mirth at killing the clone-which Shiro knew would also eventually kill him, even if the Belgilar don’t realize it yet. **_SUBJECT: TAKASHISHIROGANE REINREGRATION: SUCCESS. _ **B**_ EGINNING HIBERNATION PROTOCOLS._**

“Quiznak…!” Shiro could feel the invasion of the machine claw through him, could see a new right arm start to flicker to life. “S-stop…please…th-this is…evil…! You are…evil…!”

**_ WE ARE HALLMARK. WE ARE NOT EVIL. _ **

The voices began to bleed into his mind, pounding into his bones, threatening to overtake his mind. The words slithered in, starting to grab hold as images of his real life faded and slipped through his fingers. Instead, when he tried to call up the truth, all he could recall were the implanted false memories, the ones of him as a writer with amnesia, which he knew he would meekly accept as the truth. He could already feel himself lean towards those memories, towards accepting his fate as a character in a Hallmark movie alongside Keith.

Keith. At least he’d still have Keith, even if it wasn’t real. He shouldn’t have been comforted, but with each passing second the unreal comfort seemed more preferable to reality.

**_ DO YOU SEE? WE ARE JOY, AND MERRIMENT, AND ROMANCE. WE ARE HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT, THE FAINT SMELL OF SUGAR COOKIES BAKING IN THE OVEN, AND A COZY FIRE WHILE WATCHING THE NEWEST HOLIDAY ROMANCE FILM UNDER A WARM BLANKET. WE ARE THE TRUE WINDOW TO THE AMERICAN AND WESTERN EUROPEAN CULTURE OF YORE, FILMED LIVE ON LOCATION IN, OF COURSE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. WE ARE- _ **

“ ** _MONSTERS!!_** ”

The voice jolted Shiro out of the dream he was plunging into. At first, he blankly stared at the figure who now stood on top of the log he’d been leaning against, eyes open and weapon out. The weapon looked so familiar—a bay…bay-something, was he even supposed to _have_ that in this reality?– as it transformed, blade pointed towards the now-very surprised, static-filled eyes. For a tick, Shiro didn’t get what was happening.

Then, the fog of presque-vu lifted, and it hit him. The Belgilar had been so focused, so obsessed with shutting down the clone’s mind and bringing Shiro back into their programming, that they’d forgotten about keeping Keith docile and out of the discussion-or, barring that, to check whether the reset on his mind had fully worked.

By some miracle, it hadn’t.

“YOU…YOU HORRIBLE MONSTERS! MY _LIFE_ IS A _LIE_!! YOU _LIED_ TO ME!! I’M… _I’M_ NOT EVEN REAL, AM I!?”

**_ INCORRECT. YOU  _ ARE _REAL, SUBJECT: KEITH, JUST AS WE ARE REAL AND NOT MONSTERS. AND BECAUSE WE ARE REAL AND NOT MONSTERS, YOUR ACCUSATIONS HURT OUR FEELINGS._ **

“Oh?” The snarl on Keith’s face accompanied the flash of Galra yellow in his eyes. “Good. You can feel. Then maybe you’ll feel _this_ -!”

**_ FEEL WHAT- _ **

Their answer was Keith’s transformed bayard stabbing into the static, piercing one of the eyes. The screech that came out from the entity that violently shuddered and crackled through the world was like a pig’s squeal merged with a modem, pounding straight into Shiro’s head. The thing’s eyes, too, flashed so quickly, and with such violently bright colors, that Shiro thought he was going to start having a seizure if he kept looking at it.

Then, the noise stopped. The eyes disappeared. The pressure and the static lifted, and they were back in a small forest clearing, flames happily crackling in the campfire as if nothing abnormal had happened. Once the silence settled in, Keith slumped back onto the sitting log he had jumped on, staring down at the fire as his bayard transformed back into its default state. Shiro could only watch helplessly as, after a moment, Keith half-heartedly tossed the bayard into the fire, where it popped into a cloud of pixels.

“…Keith.” Shiro finally stood, slowly standing up on unsteady legs. “They’ll be back.”

“Yeah.” As he stumbled closer, Shiro could see the mistiness in Keith’s eyes. “I guess they will be.”

Shiro managed to flop down next to Keith, letting out a deep breath. The fire flickered and dimmed as Keith covered his face with his hands.

“Hey. Keith.” Shiro gently pet Keith’s head. “Talk to me. I know this is nuts-”

“Understatement,” Keith’s muffled voice was suspiciously shaky beneath his hands. “God, I’m so…stupid. But I…I guess how I feel right now doesn’t matter, does it? Nothing about this is real. Nothing about me or you is…is _real_.”

At this, Keith collapsed into Shiro’s chest; without hesitation, Shiro brought his arm around the other, drawing him close once more. Quietly, as Keith let out small, despairing shakes, he buried his face into Keith’s hair, and waited until Keith had let it all out. It was only after the shaking had died down, and Keith was simply pressed against Shiro, his arms around Shiro’s waist, that Shiro finally spoke.

“Hey. Look at me, Keith. What you feel _does_ matter right now, because it’s what you really feel.” He gently leaned back and broke his hug, bringing his hand to cup Keith’s chin. “Not what the Belgilar’s making you think you’re feeling. Besides…I…”

He trailed off, even though he knew his mind had already been made up multiple times over before. This time, though, it was now or never. The clone might be dead, and soon Shiro would follow suit if that was the case. Even if that wasn’t the case, he and Keith were about to be swallowed back up into the world of lotus eaters and lies, and it could happen at any moment. There was no guarantee they’d ever come back out once they were forced back in.

He took a deep breath, then exhaled, as Keith’s red-ringed eyes looked up at him with confusion and apprehension. Then, he nodded.

“…I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to say this again, and…really mean it.” It hurt, because it Shiro knew this could be the last time he could truly express himself. Nevertheless, he gave Keith a reassuring smile, as if that wasn’t the case. “But there is one thing about the two of us that is real, even if you don’t remember it right now. Before we were trapped in this place, Keith…you told me you loved me. That had been very real.”

He could feel Keith’s breath hitch in his mouth, could feel the sensation of his gasp move towards his throat. He gently tilted down.

“I wish I could have said it back before this whole mess. I wish I could have said ‘I love you, too’.” Shiro braced himself. “Because…I do. I do love you. That’s real, too. What you made me- _make_ me feel out in the real world…that’s all the truth. Nothing Hallmark can make up in their films can match how my love for you really is–and how your love for me always felt like, every time you smiled at me.”

“…You. Love me.” Keith’s eyes widened, and Shiro could swear he saw something like recognition in his expression as it sunk in. “For real. For _real_? You really…love me?”

“Yes.” Shiro slowly leaned in. “Let me show you...how much…”

No response from Keith. He simply closed his eyes, letting Shiro lean in until, finally, their lips met.

“Let me…”

It was everything Shiro had secretly imagined, when no one was around to see him pining and no one could confront him on his true feelings. Keith’s lips were almost feather-soft, and plump, and oh so kissable. Shiro’s hand moved from Keith’s chin to his cheek as the kiss deepened, as Keith’s grip on Shiro tightened and moved upwards as well. Even their tongues began to square off, circling one another, ready to spar, unwilling to yield.

It was only with difficulty that Shiro broke off the kiss, leaning in only to whisper into Keith’s ear.

“Always and forever. Until the last star disappears from the sky.”

_**Ok, seriously, that was sappy enough to make maple syrup.** _

Shiro’s head bolted up, letting out an embarrassing puppy squeak as he turned to the source of the voice. In response, the clone looked coolly at Shiro from the log he was sitting on at the other end of the camp fire, a marshmallow fixed on a stick in his hands.

“What, no ugly sweater this time?” Shiro felt his heart soar at the sight, even as he heard Keith turn and let out a _huh?_ at his actions. “…I thought they’d severed our connection and erased you.”

“Naaah, their attempt just put me to sleep,” Bubble Princess Kuron was wearing his paladin armor. He stretched his legs, wiggling his feet at the ankles. “Not that it worked for long. If I were _that_ easy to get rid of, I would have died back after I escaped from Thayserix.”

“Who…” Keith was looking in the direction Shiro was talking. “Who are you talking to?”

“It’s complicated, and I know you can’t see him. But…he’s a friend. That much I can say.” Though Keith looked hesitant to believe him, he also didn’t look ready to run away or reject what Shiro was saying out of hand like back in the hospital. “Please tell me you can shut this down for good.”

“Can do. I've got access the the core.” The clone popped the marshmallow into his mouth, licking his lips as he hummed and chewed. “Just remember our deal, Golden Boy.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Shiro ducked his head down, feeling his face flush. “Now hurry up before that thing comes back-”

**_ NO. _ **

Shiro’s eyes widened as he felt the static return, felt it start to crawl up his spine.

**_ NO, NO! WE SUPPRESSED THE BRAINWAVE VIRUS! WE STOPPED IT! _ **

“Yeah, well, you didn’t.” Kuron stood up and tossed the marshmallow-coated stick aside, cracking his knuckles. Purple sparks flew from his hands with each pop. “Sorry Hallmark, but you’re about to be cancelled!”

 ** _WE CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN! WE MUST BRING WORLD PEACE! YOU CANNOT DO THIS!_** The cry of the Belgilar sounded enraged, yet at the same time pathetic and scared. **_WE ARE HALLMARK! WE ARE THE GREAT HOPE OF SUBJECT: HUMANKIND! WE ARE HAPPINESS AND COZINESS AND CHOCOLATE AND ETERNAL HAPPY ENDINGS! WE ARE THE LEGACY OF CANDACE CAMERON-BURE, AND DANICA MCKELLAR, AND KELLIE PICKLER, AND TOM SELLECK, AND HOLLY ROBINSON-PEETE, AND CATHERINE BELL, AND KELLIE MARTIN, AND JACK WAGNER, AND LORI LAUGHLIN, AND LACEY CHABERT!_**

**_ …NOT SUBJECT: LORI LAUGHLIN. _ **

**_ OH YES, CORRECT. NOT HER. BUT EVERYONE ELSE! THINK OF LACEY CHABERT!! LACEY CHABERRRRT!! _ **

“…No.” The clone began to glow, an almost-maniacal grin on his face. “I won’t. Accessing AI core. Also, Shiro, Keith, fair warning, but this is probably going to hurt a little.”

“What do you mean _probab_ –”

Shiro didn’t get the chance to finish his predicate before overwhelming pain overtook him. The scream that wanted to come out died in his throat. Instead, it was the horrible screams of the Belgilar that echoed through the air, the static trying desperately to claw at Shiro and Keith, the static all around this becoming more and more violent and pronounced and full of colors that Shiro didn’t even know could exist outside of the astral plane. The creatures and their static mutated, surged forward, then rolled back, hands of interminable origin transforming into spikes, then polygons, then pixels with screaming mouths with bits gurgling and frothing out with interminable agony.

_filyh oaeze eoqjo xqnhd nxysa eflto nwwfs efocs sjrnz lqkde sbmov lybbg rnchy wzrdp kctob mcvvp okmjf nbqxp sswgx uguab quznz btr_

Still, even as the world dropped out beneath him into a spray of pixels, and even as he fell into the void and the howling, unyielding artificial darkness took him again, there were still two comforts left to him before the inevitable shutdown. The first was the knowledge that he would wake up soon. The second was holding onto him tightly. He was warmer than any cinnamon roll, and more beautiful than any Christmas tree, and more special than any romantic meet-cute that the system could offer.

And by quiznak–he was going to make sure Keith knew that in the real world when they finally woke up from this congenial nightmare, as many times as it took.

* * *

Twenty hours. That has been the length of time Shiro and Keith had gone silent, according to Iverson. They’d almost sent a rescue team down to extract the two, and had just started gearing the MFEs up when Shiro started screaming into the comms about someone named Jesse Metcalfe. Apparently, he was also an actor in one of the Hallmark movies; Shiro wasn’t sure how he knew that name, other than perhaps it being a name that had somehow filtered into his brain during the last gasps of the system’s shutdown, and his subconscious mind simply latched onto it as he woke up from the simulation.

Speaking of the simulation, the moment he woke up, he set to work incapacitating the slumbering the Galra before they could fully wake up. Keith was last to wake up and found himself staring at a marching line of very grumpy and very, _very_ confused gendarmes, sullenly looking over at Shiro as he led them out of the derelict ship and back to the hold of the Black Lion. Once the prisoners were secured and the particle beam was up around it, Keith and Shiro took it upon themselves to go deeper into the dead planet, looking for the source of their Green Mountain State sham.

It took some time, and a lot of cave-diving, but it was Keith who managed to find it. The Belgilar’s true form, it turned out, was a small golden orb with tiny little metal tentacles, an ornate crown on top of it. The crown, it turned out, was part of the old logo of Hallmark, according to the research Matt did upon Keith and Shiro’s return to the Atlas-likely it created the crown when it became self-aware. It was strangely cute, now that it was dormant, its multiple eyes closed.

“Looks like everything the Belgilar claimed about what happened on Earth is true,” Matt mused as he went through an old newspaper archive downloaded from Earth. “The Holiday Wars were pretty gnarly, and after they were over the governments of Earth banned greeting cards and companies that made them from existing!”

“That sounds…highly implausible.” Shiro rubbed the back of his head with his Altean arm. His real, pearl-cyan, floating Altean right arm. “Then again, I think I’ve experienced twenty different implausible things over the past several years, so I guess space lasers made out of weaponized stationary, chintzy ornaments, and Enesco birthday girl figurines shouldn’t be beyond the pale for me.”

“Yeah, definitely not.” Matt tossed the Belgilar into the air, catching it in his other hand. “This will be pretty handy though. A whole treasure trove of television-made cinema from the pre-Ice Melt, thought lost forever, sitting in the palm of my hand! Now I just have to figure out how to access it all without waking this thing up fully and accidentally starting the Hallmarkalypse.”

“Haha. Good luck on that,” Shiro chuckled. “You do that. I’m going to take a shower and pretend most of today didn’t happen. Tell your dad that he and Iverson have the bridge tonight.”

Atlas rippled with questioning, comforting vibes as he left Matt’s lab, his footsteps echoing through the hallway as he made his way towards his private quarters. It was like having a blanket on his shoulders, one that was getting ready to wrap around his whole body. Of course, even Atlas knew that its ministrations were no replacement for what–who–he was about to meet.

He stopped right before the door to his rooms, closing his eyes. He knew if he did this for real, there was no turning back. There would be no return to the previous normal. No keeping his heart to himself, no taking back whatever he was going to say. If he was going to say it.

No. He _was_ going to do it, he _was_ going to say it. He was going to do it, because he wanted what he felt for Keith to be real at long last. Because he loved Keith, who was the most perfect person in the universe. Because Keith loved him back and deserved everything and more than Shiro could offer. Because what he said in the simulation was nothing compared to what was (hopefully) about to happen in reality.

He could do this. He absolutely could confess to Keith now, because it was time to do it. And it was not because he could hear the faint strands of _The Great Compromise_ threateningly and ominously wafting through his ears and mind when he faltered in his resolve. That was just annoying.

**You’re _annoying._**

_Uh huh._ Shiro chuckled to himself, shaking his head. _Just keep telling yourself that, Bubble Princess. You know that was made in Vancouver too, right?_

**_Ugh. Just go in and kiss him for real already. I’m out._ **

Taking one last deep breath as the clone gently sunk back into his subconsciousness, Shiro rolled his shoulders, smiled, and let the door slide open, walking towards the man on the bed–and to the beginning of the rest of his life.

**E N D**


End file.
